


Batfam Meta & Headcanons

by reisling



Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batman (Comics)
Genre: Buzzcut (Hair Style), Cassandra Cain is Cass and rejects other verbal descriptors, Cassandra Cain through the lens of other people, Metas & Headcanons, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, batfamily
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-09-07 05:54:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16848400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reisling/pseuds/reisling
Summary: Just a bunch of meta and some pieces of headcanons (based on said meta) of mine concerning the Bats.





	1. Batboys and Buzzcuts

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to talk to me about these, either in the comments here or [over at my tumblr](https://rhinefall.tumblr.com/ask)!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted [on my tumblr](https://rhinefall.tumblr.com/post/178677478444/batboys-and-buzzcuts), with some slight edits

First there was Damian, who came from the League of Shadows/Assassins with a very strict and even militant upbringing, with short hair as a metaphor for discipline.

Then there was Duke, who as a PoC would be affected by hair bias. To avoid an afro and/or cornrows the hair was kept short.

Meanwhile, over in Arkham-verse, there was Tim, who used his haircut to distinguish himself from his predecessor.

Then Jason got a makeover to signify a new start: new costume, new weapons, new symbol — and a new haircut.

And finally Dick had brain surgery, so his hair was cut for better access.

* * *

To follow up, I'd like to see Cass get a buzzed cut a) in solidarity with her brothers, b) to show that Ladies Can Do It Better And Look Gorgeous Doing So (but without putting their health at risk), and c) to get a boost in Lesbian Power™.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And to "be the change you wish to see happen" I started the [Regression of Hair](https://rhinefall.tumblr.com/tagged/regression%20of%20hair/chrono) fanart series and actually kind of proud of the results so far.


	2. Cassandra Cain does not use labels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted [on my tumblr](https://rhinefall.tumblr.com/post/178255673869/cassandra-cain-does-not-use-labels), with some edits
> 
> * * *
> 
> Admittedly, I have only read some comics with her from her Batgirl run, so my information base is far from complete. Add to that the fact that English is my third language, so I’m not always as clear as I wish to be. If anyone has something to add, they’re free to do so.

Cass’s first language was Body Language, so her conscious thoughts would be based on those. While before magically made to think in English she  _did_  have some words (and likely a concept of how spoken/written languages work), it was more like how you’d approach a foreign language that you had little idea of and only knew few key words in. (Think learning to say basic stuff like “hello” or “how much?” in preparation for a trip to a place where most of the population does not speak your language/s.)

When that bit of magic happened I had to stop reading for a bit, because it felt like a really gross violation to me. As a bilingual [my thought processes are mostly seperate from any concrete language, and therefore words](https://rhinefall.tumblr.com/post/175962349404/dear-bilingual-people), which while not quite the same as Cass still seemed similar. I imagine her to have thought in concepts, but without the in-between step of translating those concepts into words (which happens whenever I communicate with people.) And then to have that replaced with what was essentially a foreign monolingual thought system…  ~~My first thought was along the lines of: “Another example of the arrogance of white men who think they know better.”~~  The point being, she basically went from “growing up thinking in non-verbal concepts” to “made to think in English words” without the in-between of “translating the concepts into words”, which was where her aphasia stems from.

At that point, Oracle tried to help her learn English, which while well-intentioned wasn’t exactly the problem – the problem being the lack of a connection between concept and language, and thus her conscious thoughts; it wasn’t like she lost her memories, she was just (forcibly) disconnected from them. And Cass knew that on some level, hence why she was so desperate to “re-learn” Body Language, to the point of seeking out Shiva and making a deal with her. This was of course further driven by her wish for atonement and thinking her (only) way of doing so was being Batgirl, (which was where Bruce tried to show her that there was more to her than Batgirl.)

After she regained her knowledge of Body Language, she still kept her English, though to be as fast in reacting to other people’s movements the Body Language / concepts would have to be her “thinking language,” and with English being the language that her mind translates those into by default  **when they need to be put into words.** All that is to say  ** _Cassandra Cain does not think in words._**

* * *

Based on my personal experience, I think that Cass would also be very careful with her words, especially any that she might use to describe herself with. The fact that her upbringing was very unique does not help there at all. And some things she just might not bother verbalizing at all, like gender or attraction, because not thinking in words also has the side effect that your thoughts don’t get sorted into categories determined by language, and both gender and language are actually social constructs, and Cass grew up largely isolated from society.

* * *

**My headcanon for her is that she’s an NB bi who does not care about gender in either context, but she wouldn’t actually use any of the labels.**


	3. Cass through the lens of her found parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ways Cass's relationships with Bruce and Babs reflect on their own persons in Post-Crisis / her Batgirl run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been in my head since I typed up the other bit of [my Cass meta in the previous chapter](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16848400/chapters/39555841), specifically the third paragraph.
> 
> Fair warning: It has since been a few months, and I haven't recently refreshed my memory of the comics, so this might not be 100% accurate.
> 
> Now it's [#CassCainBdayWeek2019 on tumblr](https://casscainbdayweek.tumblr.com), with ~~today's~~ yesterday's prompt being **Day 2: Family** which is as good an excuse as any to put this into words finally.

#### Barbara Gordon

By the time Cass meets Barbara, she already is Oracle. Or to reframe it: an independent woman who through external circumstances was made to be disabled and instead of letting her disabilities hold her back built herself up again.

The way Barbara relates to Cass mirrors this to some degree; she views her as a younger woman who due to parental abuse/neglect developed some unusual traits that while advantageous in certain aspects give her a disadvantage in a lot of everyday situations. And since Barbara herself built herself up again in that situation, she endeavours to help Cass catch up to her peers in those problem areas.

One of the results is that she tries to spend time with Cass in order to teach her to talk and write, especially after the Magic forcibly giving her words.

In general, Barbara tries to encourage Cass to learn normal, everyday skills which she lacks due to her unusual upbringing.

* * *

#### Bruce Wayne

There are many metas and headcanons out there about the differences between Brucie, Bruce, Batman, and who the real person underneath all that is. This is not supposed to be about that.

For the purposes of this meta, Bruce exists as a person who has been deeply hurt by the world, yet still cherishes and loves everything about life, but is not the best at showing it. Batman is meant as a tool through which he can help reduce the hurt in the world, but sometimes the task is so enourmous that it completely takes him over, making it difficult at times for Bruce to shine through.

This difficulty in separating Bruce from Batman is reflected in the way he relates to Cass, in that he tries to remind her that there is more to her than Batgirl. Especially with the loss of her combat abilities, he thinks this is the perfect opportunity for her to explore who Cassandra is exactly.

(This also implies that he _does not want_ to be Batman first, and hopes that Cass won't put Batgirl before her own person either.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Casual reminder that this is my own personal take on things and not facts that everyone has to agree on, but if anyone wants to start a discussion they're welcome to comment (or get into my inbox on [tumblr](https://rhinefall.tumblr.com/ask) or [pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/rhinebow). Or I guess [twitter](https://twitter.com/wreathshade) is also an option...)!
> 
> Dont't forget to check out the [other works for #CassCainBdayWeek2019 in the AO3 Collection](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Cass_Cain_Bday_Week) (which this one is not actually part of because it's just this one chapter)!

**Author's Note:**

> And another link [to my tumblr](https://rhinefall.tumblr.com) at the end, if you wish to talk!


End file.
